Family Owned
by rio95000
Summary: Bilbo wasn't expecting a wizard. He most certainly wasn't expecting a troupe of 10 dwarves to be raiding his pantry. But he definitely, DEFINITELY, wasn't expecting a dwarven king to appear on his doorstep with two slaves in tow. (The Hobbit films AU - just some scenes so far) Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Bilbo sighed. Behind him he could still hear the dwarves laughing uproariously as they finished stacking his plates and crockery. He knew Gandalf was chuckling in the background – harmless fun his hairy feet – and wondered if this nightmare would ever end. He still didn't know why this group? Troupe? _Mass _of dwarves was even here.

What did one call a quantity of dwarves? Bilbo was reciting the specific group names in his head that he knew of – flock, pride, troop… explosion – when then was one more knock on the door.

If the steady yet authoritative rhythm didn't tell Bilbo that this visitor was different from the rest, the fact that the mob behind him were silent for the first time since their little drinking/burping contest did.

_Mob_?

No, too simple.

_Herd_?

No. As much as his empty pantry disagreed, they weren't animals.

Bilbo sighed. Again. He went to sigh again at realising he had finally begun to exhibit the same habit as his father, but stopped upon realising the irony. Although he seriously reconsidered it when he saw the state of his floor in the entry way.

Explosion was becoming more and more suitable…

Bilbo finally opened the door. After the lot already arrived, this dwarf was strangely... Once again he felt stuck for the right word. _Normal_ was far too understated for such a powerful figure, which clearly this dwarf was. Or thought he was.

_Controlled_, his brain supplied, as Bilbo stammered his way through his final greeting of the night. This dwarf screamed control, from the way he stood, the way he glared Bilbo down, and the way he totally ignored the others standing in his shadow.

Shadow?

If he wasn't so preoccupied with the dwarf in front of his, who was busy asking if he was a grocer, Bilbo hoped he would have noticed the figures standing behind earlier. As it was, they were standing totally in the shadow, out of the light from Bag End's windows.

"Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf greeted from behind Bilbo.

The dwarf – Thorin – nodded in reply and finally came in. Bilbo looked questioningly towards the two shadows outside, wondering if they were coming inside, but Thorin didn't even turn.

"Keep watch on the packs until dawn," he said coolly over his shoulder, then followed Gandalf into the dining room towards the other dwarfs.

Bilbo was still hesitant to close the door, but the two outside bowed and headed off back into the night without another word.

Of all the strange things he had seen that evening, why should two dwarves – an assumption, but not unreasonable – staying outside, seem so odd to him?

It was a puzzle that stuck with Bilbo not just in the hours that followed, but for days into the quest that Gandalf had signed him up for. It was something in the body language of everyone involved. But his brain, used to searching for lost words and connecting ideas, merely filed its observations away to be dealt with at another time.


	2. Chapter 2

Bilbo awoke to silence.

Looking out his window, dawn had only just arrived. That would explain the lack of bird song. Bilbo swore the sparrows that lived in his lemon tree slept in almost as long as he did. Well, he normally did. He was expecting to hear the tumultuous tribe (good, eh?) of dwarves still rummaging around in his living room. Except there was only the silence.

Half expecting to have woken from some strange dream, Bilbo tiptoed out into his hall. It was as clean and clear as it was right after he last washed it. Bracing himself, Bilbo even stuck his head into his much abused bathroom.

Sparkling.

Pinching himself sharply – perhaps last night was some strange hallucination – Bilbo ventured back into the room where he swore to himself that last night held 11 dwarves and a wizard singing a haunting song about a mountain.

He almost swore, literally, when he saw the still snoozing pile of dwarf spread across his living room. Gandalf was nowhere to be seen, but that hardly surprised Bilbo. What would surprise him was the wizard needing any sleep at all.

Bilbo was just about to return to his warm bed and another few hours of sleep, when he heard a slight scraping of dishes.

Then a soft murmuring of voices, all coming from his kitchen. Perhaps a couple of the dwarves had woken early and had decided to not leave Bilbo with their piles of plates to wash up after the multitude had (finally) left. He had to admit, cleaning up after that feast was nothing to look forward to.

He did another quick headcount of the sleeping dwarves. Definitely eleven.

So who was in his kitchen?

Bilbo took the long way around, coming in past his pantry. He could sneak under a bench and watch whoever – or whatever – had further invaded his house. Bilbo huffed at the indignity of having to sneak in his own house, when he finally caught sight of the dwarves – because what else could they be? – inside his kitchen.

There were two of them, one fair and one dark, quietly shuffling around his sink and washing all the dishes the others had stacks the night before.

Bilbo's brain finally woke up enough to connect these last two characters to the two shadows standing behind Thorin Oakenshield the previous night. But why would two dwarves, clearly so young, be kept outside?

The blonde dwarf was up to his elbows in soap suds, carefully scrubbing all of Bilbo's mother's dishes. Without looking he passed them to the dark haired dwarf, who dried them with a dish towel and restacked them on the table.

They were clearly at ease working together, Bilbo noticed. He also saw the holes in their long worn clothes, their boots that had clearly seen too many seasons and that thin, pinched look he knew creatures who hadn't eaten enough for weeks, even months, carried with them constantly.

Something wasn't right, and it wasn't just the hobbit in Bilbo incredulous at the idea of not having enough to eat. Because clearly the dwarves sleeping in the next room – inside, warm and well-clothed – had not starved these last few winters.

They had no weapons, these two dwarves.

Bilbo's brain raced to take in all the details, the differences between these dwarves and the others he had temporarily welcomed into his home. It was just how his mind worked. There were surely some differences his brain recognised but was unable to understand. Like the braids perhaps…

He bit back a sharp intake of breath when he heard someone else come into the kitchen. Burglar he may be not, but any young hobbit worth his salt knew how to keep quiet around the kitchen. Especially if you were trying to sneak some extra honey before supper…

"The packs are ready then."

Bilbo heard Thorin make the statement. It was definitely not a question.

"Yes, sir," the blonde dwarf responded softly. He had turned from his work when the leader had entered the room.

"Who asked you to clean up inside?"

This was definitely a question. And Bilbo didn't have to be able to see Thorin to hear the dangerous edge in his voice.

There was a pause, but obviously the two young dwarves knew better than to not answer.

"Balin, sir."

Suddenly Thorin stepped into Bilbo's line of sight. Bilbo froze, but Thorin's eyes never left the other two dwarves. Calmly – _controlled _– he removed one of his gloves and slapped each boy once on the cheek. Not enough for any of the others to hear, but enough for Bilbo to jerk sharply. The two dwarves made no sounds though, and kept their gazes low.

Thorin moved in even closer.

"You only follow my orders. Mine! You obey me!" he hissed, then turned and stalked back towards the rest of his company.

Bilbo stayed where he was. His mind was planning his return route to his bed – avoiding the possibly awake dwarven mob – as soon as he was sure Thorin was truly gone and the two dwarves in his kitchen had returned to their work. The dark one did move towards his towel, but quickly the other grabbed his wrist. Bilbo watched them both glance towards the living room, towards the other dwarfs, and saw them both take measured, deep breaths.

The blonde one gently pushed his forehead down towards the other, and as they rested together Bilbo felt more and more uncomfortable at witnessing things he shouldn't. Wanting to give them some privacy, but also wanting to be back in bed, he shuffled backwards and towards his own room.


	3. Chapter 3

In his haste to catch up to the company the next morning, Bilbo had totally forgotten the strange two dwarves, or shadows-of-dwarves (as his mind had started calling them), from his kitchen. But after he was finally shoved on a pony, laughed at by the majority of the Company, scowled at by Thorin and consoled by Gandalf, Bilbo finally noticed the odd two dwarves amongst the rest.

After seeing them the night before, he had half expected to see them walking; but seeing as Thorin had insisted that he (Bilbo) ride, he was only mildly surprised to recognise the young blonde and brunette on two ponies towards the end of the line.

Once again, Bilbo noticed they were not like the others. The dwarfs did not all come across as forceful as Thorin, but they still all rode ahead with a clear sense of purpose: they were heading towards something. It took him a few miles to label the difference: the main group of dwarves were traveling somewhere, but the two younger dwarves were only following. It was all in their body language: hunched shoulders, no observable conversation, wary glances. It wasn't that they didn't look around and take notice of their surroundings; actually in some ways they seemed more aware than the others. But instead of just admiring what was around them, Bilbo swore that they seemed to be almost feeling it.

"You've noticed our two tag alongs, you have."

Bilbo jumped in his saddle when he realised that Balin and Bofur had come up alongside him.

"Sorry?"

Bofur jerked his head backwards. "Fili and Kili back there."

Bilbo shrugged. "I didn't know their names. They didn't come inside last night."

Later, he was sure there was a flash of something in Balin's eyes, but at the time it disappeared to quickly for him to identify it. "No, they wouldn't have."

It seemed like the two dwarves weren't going to say anything more, so Bilbo pressed them.

"Why?"

Bofur lazily raised one eyebrow. "Why didn't they come inside or why wouldn't they?"

"Both!"

Bofur sighed. "Do they have slaves in the Shire?"

Bilbo flinched and bit his tongue trying not to yell out to the whole group. "Slaves!" he hissed. "Hobbits don't have slaves!"

Then it clicked for him. Why the shadow-dwarves – Fili and Kili – were separate from the main company and given orders to do the worst jobs. Why Bofur was keeping his normally loud conversation so quiet. Why Balin looked almost ashamed.

Madly trying to process what he'd just learned, Bilbo stammered, "So who do Fili and Kili belong to?"

Bofur almost looked surprised that Bilbo had caught on so quickly.

"Thorin," Balin said quietly.

Bilbo nodded absently. That was what he was expecting – after the scene last night saying they belonged to the company would have been off.

"Is it… normal for dwarves to keep slaves then?" Bilbo asked, keeping his tone light. "I thought only men had slaves, is all."

Bofur and Balin exchanged meaningful looks, and Bilbo sighed internally. He could see this was one puzzle that would take a lot of tact to solve.

"Not normal, exactly," Balin started. "But in exceptional circumstances…"

"They're not criminals, if that's what you're worried about," Bofur added quickly. "They're not going to stab us in our sleep or anything."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Bilbo replied.

He felt Balin and Bofur fall back, but missed their second exchange of silent messages. He wanted to turn around and have another look back at the two (shudder) slaves, but at the same time he knew this whole situation was clearly on such a knife's edge that he didn't want to disturb things by crossing some undrawn boundary. None of the other dwarves seemed to be paying any attention to the slaves in the rear, and Bilbo didn't want to give Thorin another reason to dislike him by breaching some dwarf-slave code.

Perhaps Gandalf? Although he hadn't paid any attention to the young slaves either. Now that Bilbo thought back on things, Gandalf knew enough about the company to do a named headcount back at Bag End, so what were his thoughts about the slaves?

Bilbo shook his head out of his own thoughts. Asking himself more questions he didn't know the answer to was not helping him solve things at all. Remotely he found himself wondering why he was at all concerned about the circumstances behind two dwarvish slaves, but then he realised that he'd spent the last 10 minutes thinking about two creatures as only slaves – even though he'd known their names the whole time.

_Fili and Kili. _

Or maybe it was just that the whole situation was so unknown to him, and so obviously a touchy subject amongst the other dwarves, that the Took in him had to get to the bottom of the mystery. Either way, there should be plenty of time on the adventure to learn more.


	4. Chapter 4

The Company finally stopped and made camp just before dusk. Bilbo felt lost amongst the dwarves, who were clearly experienced travellers. He stuck close to Myrtle (she was perfectly happy to have him nearby, with all the treats he had been feeding her) and tried to keep out of the way of the others, who were collecting firewood, setting out supper and laying out bedrolls.

Trying not to get flustered with all the activity (again – what is it with these dwarves?!), Bilbo fell back onto what he knew best – analysing. Bombur was clearly focused on food. Bifur and Bofur were sticking close by to make sure their relative didn't eat before the rest. The Ri brothers had been tasked with getting a fire going: well, Nori was lighting the fire; Dori was arguing with Ori about how close he could get to the sparks. Balin, Oin and Gloin were clustered around Thorin, obviously discussing routes and plans.

Nearby… Fili and Kili moved cautiously around the senior group. They collected things from one location, moving to the next without meeting anyone's eye or engaging in the lively conversations that were carrying across the camp site. Bilbo belatedly realised they were setting up Thorin's bedding and laying out his gear. The blonde one – he still didn't know which was which – had started cleaning Thorin's weapons while the other took a shirt down to the nearby stream for washing.

Their… master (_Bilbo still felt sick_) didn't pay either of them a glance.

Bilbo caught himself staring and turned back to Myrtle. Someone (he suspected Ori) had moved his belongings to a spot in the circle, and Bilbo quickly busied himself so no one asked what was holding his attention. Once he was satisfied enough time had passed, Bilbo chanced another look around the group. He realised he had been mistaken in only watching Fili and Kili.

When he sat back and saw the whole picture, he realised that most of the Company also shot them glances from time to time. Most seemed neutral – Bifur checking where Kili had gone too, Nori making sure Fili had all the right kit to sharpen Thorin's daggers. But some were definitely trying to hide something – Ori was clearly upset about something other than not being trusted to light a fire. Bilbo hadn't forgotten the looks in Balin and Bofur's eyes either.

Someone was missing…

_Dwalin_.

Dwalin was standing guard near the centre of the group, turning so he could keep watch in all directions. He was not hiding any of the emotion in his eyes. All of Bilbo's instincts were telling him to run, run far far away and the look of burning anger in the giant warrior dwarf's eyes. He fought _hard_ to remain still, to not let on that he had seen. Bilbo knew that if Dwalin were to turn towards him with that look on his face Bilbo wouldn't be able to stop bolting for the nearest cover.

Or at least behind Dori or Bofur's back.

Bilbo had already been told that Balin and Dwalin were totally loyal to Thorin and the Company – Bofur had told him first thing this morning when he re-introduced them all.

But with the dark look of hatred Dwalin was sending to Thorin right now, Bilbo wondered how thick his loyalty lay.


	5. Chapter 5

With a good meal inside them, the entire company seemed more relaxed. Dwalin had gotten his emotions back under control, Dori was no longer nagging Ori about every little thing, and even Thorin seemed a little less…

Bilbo was stuck for an adjective that would accurately describe the King.

_Gristly? _

Even Fili and Kili seemed a little less on edge, if that were possible. They were huddled off the side of the Company, their heads together but well outside of the main circle. Bilbo hoped that after a warm meal, they would sleep well. He hoped they had at least one warm blanket between them – but then he had no idea how dwarves treated their slaves on the road. The state of their clothes gave him a hint, but…

Bilbo's thoughts stopped abruptly.

He did hope that after the meal the two young dwarves would relax more.

_But had they eaten a warm meal in the first place?_

He racked his brain back to dinner time. Bofur and Bifur had practically restrained Bombur to allow the rest of them their fair share of the stew. Thorin and his advisors had quickly collected their food and retreated back to their intense conversation. The other dwarves had involved Bilbo in a lively conversation about the mating rituals of Ents – apparently Ori had read a book about them and Nori swore he had seen one in his travels. Gandalf had quickly eaten his food and then excused himself for the evening.

For the life of him, Bilbo couldn't recall seeing Fili and Kili eat.

Cursing Nori and his attention-grabbingly graphic stories, Bilbo got up and looked around for someone he could demand answers of. He knew that Dwalin would listen to him, but after seeing his face earlier Bilbo wasn't sure he would escape a conversation about the boys in one piece.

Bofur – he had seemed sympathetic earlier on the ride…

"Bofur?"

Bilbo had taken a moment to collect himself – if Lobelia Sackville-Baggins had taught him anything, it was that a rational beginning to a complex conversation pushed the odds in your favour.

Bofur looked up from the wood he was carving.

"Something bothering you, Master Burglar?"

Bilbo took another slow, deep breath.

"Bofur, I know I don't understand most of your traditions, and the last thing I want to do is cause offence. But I have to know: did Fili and Kili get to eat tonight?"

Bofur didn't respond at first and turned his gaze away, and Bilbo was worried he had killed their friendship before it truly began by asking a taboo question.

"They can't," he said quietly.

Bilbo waited.

"They can't," Bofur repeated, finally matching his gaze. He wasn't hiding his hurt anymore. "They're just two boys, but they can't eat until their u… _Master _gives them permission."

Bilbo sat back on his heels, letting this new piece of information sink in.

"Food was saved for them," Bofur added, pointing to a bowl on the edge of the fire. "But we can't offer it. Technically, we can't even mention it, reminder-like, to Thorin. But between you and me," and at this Bofur motioned Bilbo closer, "I wouldn't put it past Dwalin to screw tradition and yell it at Thorin himself."

Bilbo chanced another look at the axe man.

Suddenly Dwalin looked up himself. He saw Bilbo and Bofur together, saw them looking at the lone bowl at the fireside.

There was a long moment, a moment where Bilbo wasn't sure if Dwalin was about to pounce on him and Bofur for speaking of something so personal.

Then Bilbo saw that same terrible stare turn to Thorin, and Bilbo knew exactly where Dwalin's thoughts on the matter lay. Bilbo saw the muscles shifting, saw Dwalin about to rise and act…

A short cough from Balin was all it took to settle his brother back in his seat.

Not willingly or happily, necessarily. But Dwalin kept his position and Balin continued his conversation with his king as if nothing had happened.

"Bombur," Thorin called suddenly. The camp stilled.

"Yes, my King?"

"See that they get their rations."

"Of course, my King."

And with that Thorin returned to his map.

Bombur reached out for the bowl, but Bilbo beat him to it.

"May I take it?"

Bombur looked to Bofur, who looked over to Dwalin. Neither of them seemed to have any objection.

"I don't want to pry," Bilbo said, "But food is important. To hobbits, I mean."

Calling this food was a little generous, Bilbo reflected as he crossed the camp. He was studiously ignoring the other's side conversations, which only left him the bowl to look at. It seemed that the soggy vegetables and gristle from the bottom of the stew had been lumped in a bowl and left to sit for a few hours.

The food-loving hobbit in Bilbo was crying out at the injustice of this being called 'edible'.

The plain hobbit in Bilbo hadn't stopped crying about Fili and Kili since they left the Shire.

He made sure to tread more heavily than usual to announce his presence.

"Fili? Kili?" he started softly. "I brought your food over."

Two sets of dark eyes jumped up to his face then shot back down to his feet. Obviously he hadn't been as loud as he thought.

"Thank you, Mister Boggins," the dark one stuttered.

"It's Baggins. Bilbo Baggins," he replied gently.

The blonde dwarf cuffed the other around the head, and they half bowed from the ground.

"Please forgive my brother, Mister Baggins," he began.

"I accept the punishment you deem fit," the other nodded.

"No, no that's not necessary," Bilbo stuttered. "And please, call me Bilbo." He passed them the bowl of food _mostly edible ingredients _and backed away quickly.

"Thank you again, Mister Bilbo," the blonde dwarf said.

Bilbo kept backing away, watching the boys – _brothers_ – quickly, neatly devour the contents of the bowl. He kept backing up until he walked right into something. A large, dwarf shaped something.

_Thorin._

"You've noticed my two slaves, Master Baggins."

"Uh… yes. Yes, I have."

"They are mine. Not the Company's. Mine."

"Of course."

Bilbo bit his lip to stop his mouth wasting more stuttered responses to the King Under the Mountain's retreating back.

He didn't say another word as Thorin called for lights out and the other dwarves began moving towards their beds.

He made it back to his own bed roll before he noticed Balin had set up along one side of him.

"Laddie, you are a part of the Company now. There's a few things you should know…"


	6. Chapter 6

_"Laddie, you are a part of the Company now. There's a few things you should know…"_

Thorin's grandfather Thror was our king when Smaug attacked Erabor. Most dwarves know that. But not all know that Thror was so caught in his dragon-sickness – drooling over his enormous wealth – that he was almost lost that day. It was a family failing – Thorin's father Thrain suffered the same. Thorin managed to stay clean for years. But we who knew him well could see that same vulnerability, that same weakness in him. The look he got in his eyes... He admitted it himself even, on his good days.

But then…"

Bilbo saw a shade come over Balin's eyes and was worried that he wouldn't hear anymore.

"Balin," he dared. "You've all told me Fili and Kili's names. But which one is which?"

He saw a small smile cross the old dwarf's face.

"Fili is the blonde one – he's older. Kili is the younger brother."

"You care for them."

It slipped out without much conscious though on Bilbo's part.

But Balin just nodded.

"Most of us do."

He sighed.

"Their mother and father came into possession of a ring. Now, I don't know how much stock hobbits take in magical artefacts, but this was a great dwarven ring of power. It gave our lords of old a deep connection to the Earth and her minerals.

This ring, of the Durin line, was thought to be lost in Erabor, but when Thorin heard it had been found, he captured the two dwarves who held it from him."

Balin's eyes snapped over to Bilbo. "They were not criminals," he hastened to add. "They genuinely thought they were acting in the Kingdom's best interests."

Privately, Bilbo wondered how two ordinary dwarves came to own a great ring of power. Balin spoke of them well – perhaps they were not so ordinary after all – but that was a pondering for another time.

"They were convicted of high treason and sentenced to death." Balin stared back into the fire. "As is his right as King, Thorin claimed the couple's sons as his slaves. They have been serving him ever since."

"How long?" Bilbo ventured.

"Twenty years," Dwalin growled.

Bilbo almost jumped onto the coals. He hadn't heard the giant warrior at all – and as a hobbit, that was impressive.

"Twenty years he's held them," Dwalin repeated. "Though tradition said he could have released them a decade ago."

"The ring," Balin interrupted, "It builds greed and insists on hoarding. In the past, that insistence created our civilisation. Now…"

He looked over to the two slave brothers on the darkest side of the clearing. Dwalin huffed.

"Now this is our heritage."

-ooo-

_Too many serious thoughts, _Bilbo grumbled to himself as he stretched his sore back out the next morning. _No wonder you aren't sleeping well, with all the worries you're carrying along._

And then his brain woke up properly, and Bilbo felt incredibly guilty and ashamed for feeling sorry for himself, with Fili and Kili having slept without a bedroll and the mountain of blankets Bilbo had.

They had clearly woken up early again, and were readying Thorin's pony and collecting firewood for breakfast.

Bilbo kept quiet as the Company ate, packed up and moved off. He hoped the others weren't wondering why he wasn't as cheerful as they were. Gandalf might have noticed, but he had only just returned as they finished breakfast, and was now riding up front with Thorin and Dwalin.

"Don't think too harshly of us, Bilbo," Bofur said suddenly. He had drawn his pony alongside Myrtle. "There are so many traditions and old ways tied in knots around our way of life, we can't do much except hope for a change of heart."

"Like the food?"

Bofur nodded. "Like the food. Custom has it that slaves be given the last and least portion. If any of us were to do something different we'd be kicked out."

Bilbo looked puzzled. "Does Thorin not trust you?"

"No," Bofur said, "In fact, he's said many times that he trusts this Company fully. He's actually been quite good to us, 'specially with me, Bifur and Bombur not being related to the crown. But anything to do with them boys…"

"He's different with them," Bilbo surmised. "So, no dwarf can interfere with Fili and Kili?"

"Nope."

"Nothing to do with their food, their clothes…"

"No, nothing."

Bilbo felt a sly grin sliding into place. "What about hobbits?"


	7. Chapter 7

Bilbo was on a mission. Luckily it had mostly been a success so far.

He had been sure that there would be some berries around here – he just had to find them.

Cursing the prickles that caught his jacket as he brushed past, Bilbo persevered away from the main company and headed closer to the stream Balin had said was nearby. He already had collected a decent pocketful of fruit, but was hoping he might find something else closer to the water.

Of course, he had also collected his fair share of bumps and scrapes along the way, but it would be worth it later.

Bilbo's ears twitched. He could hear something happening nearby. Water moving, definitely. But there were other creatures nearby.

He dropped into a crouch and moved around some large trees. He could see the stream rushing past. He could see weeping willows along the far bank. He could see…

Bilbo stopped short.

In the stream, Fili and Kili were obviously washing themselves up. He wanted to head back and give them some privacy, but he couldn't.

The hobbit had never seen wounds like that in all his life.

Fili's back was cross-crossed with angry white stripes in every direction. The raise scars showed that the few red welts that were still healing were not a new punishment. Bilbo felt the distant, academic part of his brain wondering if Thorin used his belt of if he pulled out a whip for such occasions. Then he hoped he never had to see it for himself.

Then he hoped he never compared his pathetic, weak-stomached whining with Fili and Kili's genuine suffering.

Because Kili's back had its own pattern of old wounds. His shoulders showed fading burns, and as he lifted his hair Bilbo saw an old scar circle around the back of his neck.

Either Fili was much more disagreeable than his brother, or – as Bilbo had seen the other night – Fili had probably stepped in to protect his brother. Fili had a lot more scars.

Obviously Thorin had kept their hands and feet healthy, but the rest of their normally hidden bodies told a story that matched the 20 years of pain the other dwarves had implied to Bilbo.

Suddenly Kili looked up and saw Bilbo standing under the tree.

"Mr Bogg… Mister Bilbo," he squeaked.

Fili turned at his brother's voice and immediately bowed his head. "We can finish up later, Mister Bilbo, if you want to wash up," he said, and he and Kili quickly got out of the water and started collecting their clothes.

"No, it's fine," Bilbo stuttered. "And please, just call me Bilbo."

He saw Fili and Kili share an uneasy glance.

"Actually I was hoping to find you boys," Bilbo continued. "I've been listening to the others and realised I could bring you these."

He stepped over to Kili, meaning to drop the berries into his hands, but Kili stepped back as soon as Bilbo got close. Without missing a beat, Bilbo smoothly sat down on the ground, spread out his jacket and placed the berries there.

"Please eat some. I picked these for you."

Fili still refused to meet his eyes. "We aren't allowed, Mister… I mean, Bilbo. We can't."

"Dwarves aren't allowed, Fili," Bilbo said calmly, "But hobbits take food rather seriously, and there aren't any traditions restricting who I can share my food with. So please, eat."

Bilbo kept his eyes on their knees, and he felt rather than saw their silent conversation. Somewhat reluctantly both boys sat down. Neither of them would meet his gaze.

"Go on, try one."

Fili looked green, but picked up the berry closest to him and brought it towards his mouth. Kili broke first.

"Please Mister Bilbo, don't make us eat it! You can just tell Thorin we've been good; we know not to eat unless he says, we know we can't eat good food like this, just tell him and don't make us eat these and get sick!"

Bilbo felt like he'd been shoved back, so fast he leant back on his elbows. "You… what?"

Kili finally looked up at Bilbo. "Please sir, tell our master he doesn't need to test us. We know who we belong to and we know we can't eat these. So please don't order us to make ourselves ill to prove our loyalty!"

Kili was almost sobbing. Fili's hands were shaking. He was staring doggedly at the food like he was trying to will himself to eat it, but he was clearly battling Kili's words.

_Sick! This is sick!_

Bilbo had planned a highly logical argument as to why the boys could and should eat, but he had nothing. Literally, his brain was blank. That these two boys would think that Bilbo was just trying to make them sick, to test them for Thorin (_their master, he refused to call him his name anymore_) instead of helping them…

Bilbo made a snap decision. Reaching out, he grabbed a berry, made sure the boys could see it and put it in his mouth. He chewed, swallowed then showed them his empty mouth.

"See? Perfectly harmless," he said cheerfully. "Although I meant them for you, there's no reason why I can't join you for a little afternoon tea." He gently picked up another berry and ate it more slowly, savouring the sweetness.

Fili and Kili hadn't moved. Bilbo had hoped they would relax but he had obviously underestimated their wariness. He sighed.

"Look, I know you have no reason to trust me. Quite frankly you have every reason never to trust a living soul ever again. But all I want to do is help you, which is why I brought some food over here where we can all eat in peace without the others knowing. Not that I think it matters – I'm not a dwarf. If I want to feed you, I will. And so I did."

Bilbo waited until both boys were looking in his general direction. Not directly meeting his eyes, of course, but close enough.  
"Please," he repeated, "Eat some."

_Next up: Fili and Kili's perspective!_


	8. Chapter 8

Fili would have given up years ago.

Any dwarf would have.

But for Kili, he would do anything.

He would keep watch at night, leave food aside and take punishments meant for his brother. And he would stay alive so Kili wouldn't be left alone.

Kili used to be so full of life. Everything about him, every twitch, every smirk, every sneaky aside screamed his exuberance to the world.

But both of them might as well be dead by now. They should have been, by rights. They'd even been expecting it, all those years ago.

_Amad _and _Adad _hadn't told them anything, of course, by Fili had overheard them talking one evening. He was getting a drink of water when he heard their murmuring in the main room.

Had he truly understood those scraps of words, "_gold-sickness_", "_treason_" and "_family_", he probably would have just told them to give the ring directly to Balin or somebody. Then he never would have had to properly understand the first two words, and would still have the third one instead of the fractured nothingness he found himself in now.

He really didn't understand "_family_" anymore.

Bofur spoke of it often, and Dori, Nori and Ori. Oin and Gloin were brothers, and Balin and Dwalin were brothers of course, but Fili understood "brother" – he had Kili after all.

But "_family_" made no sense at all anymore.

He had thought he knew "_family_", but their first year in slavery had been more than long enough to teach him that it was "Master", not "Uncle".

If he was honest with himself, he had given up. Years ago.

You didn't have to be properly alive to go through the motions of living.

-ooo-

Kili pretended to have forgotten everything from before. He pretended that he didn't remember that there had been a time when Fili smiled and _Adad _taught him to fight and _Amad _told them their histories.

It was easier most days to pretend he had forgotten.

But Kili remembered. He remembered more than even Fili, he thought.

He remembered chasing butterflies in the fields outside Erud Luin. He remembered sword training sessions turn into wrestling practice. He remembered climbing trees when their father wasn't looking, and the time that Fili had slipped and Kili had caught his arm and stopped him.

He remembered that Fili had been training to be the heir, and all that it entailed. Fili would train and learn and listen, but Kili didn't have to do all those things. He often did – if only to stay with his brother – but Kili had realised early on that as the second he had a different role to play.

Fili's was to lead. Kili's was to stand behind the leader and keep him moving forward.

It had given him something to fall back on, when everything was turned upside down. Fili took his place in front, protecting and leading the two of them, and Kili made it his upmost mission to stop Fili from fading away.

He knew Fili was just forcing himself through each day. Kili was to, but not in the same way. And so he dug as deep down as he could as often as he could, and dredged up some semblance of positivity for his brother, to keep him from falling so far that Kili couldn't pull him back up.

-ooo-

_Master has tried this before!_

Fili was screaming in his head as Mister Baggins brought the berries out. He had gotten a lot of practise at yelling silently. He felt Kili's hand on his wrist, and the scrabbling told him Kili was probably doing the same.

They had both noticed Mister Baggins watching them on the journey. At first they had entertained the hope that maybe he might buy them off of Master Thorin – at least Mister Baggins looked like he had enough room for them to sleep inside. But that hope quickly faded when they saw how possessive their Master (still) was.

They didn't know why. It wasn't as if he actually liked them, or even needed them.

But Mister Baggins hadn't stopped watching them. He had been asking about them, then he brought them their food one night and they had seen the same look in his eyes that most of the other dwarves wore.

The one that said "_I'm so sorry, I wish I could help, but…_"

He wasn't the first to have pitied them, wasn't the first to take an interest before they dropped back to earth and realised that nothing they could do could sway the will of a King.

That should have been the end of that.

But Mister Baggins still wouldn't leave them alone! There had to be something going on, some act, some trick, some test that their Master insisted they prove themselves in.

Fili coughed a laugh. Loyalty was something they ran out of a long time ago.

He would have eaten the food. He knew it would make him sick later, and that being unable to eat that night's rations would make the next day even harder, but he would do it. If only because not eating it meant pain. For both of them.

He had packed Master Thorin's bags. He knew what was in them.

But when Mister Baggins started eating the berries himself… That was not supposed to happen.

-ooo-

Kili knew FIli would eat. He always followed orders first.

And there was no doubt is was an order, no matter how politely Mister Baggins – Bilbo – said it.

Kili couldn't let Fili do this to himself again. He knew it would hurt later, but hurts get better. Eventually. Not being able to eat for a day or more could kill them both. Or worse, Master could leave them behind if they were unable to continue serving him.

He had threatened it, before.

One time they had considered it, a way out. But it had been so long since Balin's lectures that they didn't know if slaves were granted passage by Aulë to the halls of their ancestors. Not to mention dwarves who practically committed suicide. And if they weren't together then…

Any life was better than being alone.

So Kili stopped his brother, risking whatever anger Mister Baggins might be hiding. He braced himself for the punch or slap that should follow disobeying a direct order. Or a kick, with Mister Baggin's feet.

But he didn't hurt them.

He looked like they had hurt him…

The hobbit looked so hurt that Kili was tempted to eat a berry just to make him happy. A small part of him, the one that hoped that Mister Baggins might buy them (the one that he thought he put to death nights ago), thought that maybe if they pleased him, Mister Baggins might offer Master enough to change his mind.

Fili nudged him with his foot. They didn't get to speak aloud in public much, didn't need to much.

As one, they picked up a red fruit and delicately – they hadn't eaten food like this in years – bit in.

It was safe.

_Apologies for delay on Chapters 7 and 8 - the website has being killing my html and I've been wrestling with the formatting. Today I gave up and decided I'd rather have the chapters out there instead of just stalling on my hard drive._

_Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, favourited and followed!_


	9. Chapter 9

Bilbo was starting to tire of the constant reminders of just how far he had misunderstood Fili and Kili's lives. Not literally of course, but he was starting to get sick of feeling ashamed and embarrassed.

After the Great Berry Debacle (at which Fili and Kili did finally eat some of his food, after initially being outright terrified of him), Bilbo left the boys alone to finish whatever it was they were doing down at the stream in the first place.

They returned just when Bombur was serving out the food for the main group – and Bilbo gritted his teeth when he saw the 'left over' bowl being put aside for them.

If he was honest with himself, he was also extremely hungry. There wasn't nearly enough food for a normal hobbit.

But, as his mother had often reminded him, Tooks were no ordinary hobbits.

Bilbo made sure to leave some proper meat at the bottom of his bowl, and kept it hidden from the other dwarves. When he volunteered to take Fili and Kili their food (they had been sent off to watch the ponies), he grabbed his own bowl ("_I'm still finishing it, Bombur!_") and went off into the darkness.

-ooo-

_This was good._

Watching the ponies, even under orders, was still the most relaxing things Kili had done all day. Not that he got to relax much, but knowing that he and Fili were alone and weren't likely to get called on made him breathe easier.  
He was back to back with Fili, and he knew his brother would still be scanning the trees for someone approaching them. Kili slowed his breathing down to try and calm Fili's. Their heartbeats matched easily when they were sitting like this.

Just sitting in each other's company.

"Evening lads," Bilbo chirped. Kili flinched – Fili hadn't warned him someone was coming.

"I didn't see you coming, Mister… I mean, Bilbo," Fili said carefully.

"Not to worry, we hobbits are good at that. I promise I will try and give you some warning in the future though."

Kili felt his brother relax. Slightly. He was less tense, at least.

"What are you boys doing?"

"Just sitting," Kili dared, even as Fili answered dutifully, "Watching the ponies."

Fili swung his elbow back and caught Kili's.

_It's still too early for your attitude! Don't screw this up!_

But Bilbo just chuckled. "I can understand that, Kili. It's a fine night for just sitting."

Kili wasn't sure how to explain – whether he should explain to a potential future owner – that he and Fili just enjoyed simply being, not doing.

"Your home was nice, M-Bilbo," Fili changed the subject. "What do you do, back in the Shire?"

Bilbo leaned back against a nearby stump. "We do a lot of things back home. Dancing, feasting, gardening. It's a simple life, but it's a good one."

Kili could dream. He could imagine himself preparing food with Fili (or maybe helping Bilbo do it – they probably weren't good enough to organise a feast), weeding and planting outside. He remembered the morning inside the hobbit hole, and thought of all the painting and cleaning they could do in there. Maybe Fili could even remember how to repair some of the hobbits metal tools, or something.

It was a good, safe dream.

"I'd love to take you there, sometime," Bilbo said after the silence. Fili tensed again.

"You would?"

Kili could hear the hopefulness in his brother's voice. Was Bilbo saying that he'd…

"Of course, we've got to get you dwarves home, first."

_Home._

Home was the first settlement in the Blue Mountains, the little hole in the wall were _Adad _and _Amad _lived. Home was where they both felt safe and wanted.

The only good part about going to Erabor was that hopefully things might be better there. Maybe there'd be better food, more servants to do part of the work. Maybe Master Thorin would be too busy being King Thorin and pass them on to someone else.

Kili nodded. "The contract. We understand Bilbo."

Of course Mister Baggins would have to fulfil his contract first. He promised Master Thorin that he would get him inside the mountain.

"I don't think you do."

"What do you mean, Bilbo?"

Bilbo shifted himself so instead of sitting just on the edge of Kili's line of sight, he could see both of them. He gently took hold of their shoulders and pulled so both boys were facing him. Kili instinctively ducked his head, and knew Fili would have done the same. Even more gently, Bilbo lifted their chins so they were looking at him. Kili swallowed hard. 'Look me in the eye' conversations were never pleasant.

"I know you don't like looking at me like this," he said slowly, "I know it's uncomfortable for you but I need to you to see that I mean what I say. I will – I promise – take you to visit the Shire sometime. I promise I will make things better for you. That's all I want."

Fili was shaking again. Kili wanted to hold his hand but wasn't sure if Bilbo would like that or not.

"I'm your friend, Fili, Kili, and I want to help you. Please let me in."

Fili winces, and whines softly.

"What's wrong, dear boy?"

Kili isn't listening anymore. His brain is racing back, twenty years back, to a cold, wet night back home. Where his parents were whispering (they'd being doing that a lot) in their room, and someone they recognised had come to the door.

"_I'm your u-, Fili, Kili, and I want to help you. Let me in!_"

At least that's what Kili thinks he said. He might not have said "_help_". But "_want_", their names and "_Let me in!_" were all there.

"Fili! Fili!" Bilbo looked ready to shake FIli but for some reason held himself back. "Fili! Are you with us?"

"Yes, Mister Baggins," Fili said softly. His eyes were back on the ground. "I mean, yes Bilbo! Bilbo! Sorry, sir, I…"

Fili's soft but sharp yelping was cut off when Bilbo touched him carefully on the shoulder again. "It's alright Fili. I don't mind. I hope that you feel safe to call me Bilbo, but I won't get upset if you forget." He turned to Kili, who was chewing on his lip watching the scene. "Kili, can you tell me something?"

"Of course, Bilbo. What is it?"

"It's something we do back home – we ask each other questions that are important to us and mean something." Bilbo looked thoughtful. "Here's one: if you could have anything, what would it be? What do you want most in the world?"

Kili sat back and rested on his hands. No one had ever asked him anything like that before, not even when he was small and had time for wondering about such things. But he knew that part of him had hoped for something, something desparate.

"Kili," Fili cut in urgently. "How many ponies do you see?"

_Something was wrong._

Kili counted quickly. "There's two missing."

FIli nodded. "That's what I thought. We should have 16 but…"

Bilbo was slower to realise, and by the time he'd finished his count Fili and Kili were already standing up, checking again.

"What's going on?"

They ignored the hobbit, and a quick glance at each other confirmed that what they were seeing was true.

"We have to find them!"

Fili knelt back down. "Yes, we have to find them Bilbo, because if they've wandered off and we've lost them Master Thorin will kill us!"

Kili knew Fili would shrink back later if he remembered speaking to someone like this, but for now he was too worried to care.

"Boys, what if…"

"We'd be better off finding a cliff and jumping," Kili whimpered. All his instincts were telling him to curl up in a ball and hide, but that wouldn't stop anything. "We're going to be in so much trouble…"

Fili grabbed him by the shoulders. "Yes! Yes we are, Kili, but we have to do something!"

_I won't let Him hurt you again!_

Kili glared at his brother. He knew that this protective instinct just meant Fili got punished more instead of both of them equally, but he was freezing up. All of his natural instincts to plan and fix were failing under the _PANIC _that was screaming through the front of his head.

_Run! Run away! Hurt! Pain! Fili!_

"They've probably just wandered off," Bilbo was saying reassuringly. "Tell you what: you two stay here with the others, I'll go off and find them. They can't have gone far. No one else needs to know."

"We'll stay here," Fili said, but Kili wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. The natural leadership that came through just seconds before was fading back to his normal (well, normal for the last two decades) blank mask. But Kili could still see the wide, gaping look in his eyes.

_This was bad._

-ooo-

_Well, that went well._

Bilbo huffed to himself as he struggled with his sack. In hindsight, he didn't know what he was thinking, charging off after a troll (a TROLL!) when he saw it with a pony. All he could remember was deciding that he couldn't leave it to those poor boys to figure out a solution and then take the blame.

Even though they would now, anyway.

When Bilbo had gotten nabbed the first time, Kili came out of the darkness armed with rocks and tried to rescue him. The two of them had definitely kept the trolls busy until the rest of the Company arrived.

Except for Gandalf. Where was he…

And now, because somehow Thorin decided not to sacrifice Bilbo, the entire group were tied up in sacks ready to be eaten.

Bilbo shifted, and tried to see which dwarf he'd been prodding every time he wriggled.

"Oops, sorry Fili", he whispered. He knew the other dwarves, especially Thorin, couldn't catch him talking comfortably to either of the boys. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mister Baggins."

"FIli," Bilbo whispered again. "Why did you go get help? I told you to stay back so you would be safe."

"I would rather get punished for my mistake than see you get hurt because of me," Fili returned, equally softly. "I couldn't keep both of us safe. Please forgive me for disobeying."

It broke Bilbo's heart all over again to be reminded that Fili's first thought for "not being safe" was about the dwarves in the Company (or one in particular) rather than the trolls.

"Thank you, I think," Bilbo replied weakly. "And don't worry, you're forgiven."

As uncomfortable as this conversation was, Bilbo was tempted to continue, if only to distract himself from what was happening over by the troll's fire. The trolls were going on and on about eating the dwarves – they even had some of them roasting on the spit!

"Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night! Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone!"

They couldn't be that bright. Even if they had figured out that threatening the smallest (Bilbo) would get the others to surrender. Surely there was some way they could be outsmarted.

Bilbo was getting an idea…

_Boo yah, longest chapter yet! Yet still not getting the HTML to work!  
_


	10. Chapter 10

Bilbo let out a deep breath when they finally arrived back at the camp. Gandalf, having brought the dawn with him after "looking behind", had left to have another "look forward". Bilbo desperately wanted to speak to the wizard soon, but…

.

Thorin looked murderous. Like, actually ready to kill someone.

.

They had spent most of the night running around after trolls instead of sleeping, and half the night ready to be eaten, so he was bound to be upset, but…

_This was bad. Worse than bad._

Bilbo went to step forward, but Balin caught his arm. "This isn't for you laddie."

"But Balin…"

"Not now, Bilbo," Balin spoke over him, one eye on his King. "I know, I approve, I agree, but right now I need you and Nori to stand back and keep out of the way. Especially if Thorin thinks you were involved."

Bilbo let himself be grabbed by Nori and hustled to the back of the group. It was only once they were still again that he realised Balin had played him – played on his own fears that Thorin would blame him!

But Nori put one hand over Bilbo's mouth as soon as it opened. "Not a sound, Bilbo!" he hissed.

Bilbo was tempted to bite back. Literally.

"I am on your side, Bilbo!" Nori hissed in his ear. The rest of the Company was murmuring in front of them. Thorin must have been speaking. "My father… my father was trapped in slavery for nearly 10 years, and I know! I get it! He taught me that slavery is wrong and that we need to fight it. And I taught it to Dori and Ori. But here, just like back home, I have no say! I'm a nobody and no one cares what I think! I have to save my voice for the right time and place, speaking my thoughts here and there until someone with enough influence is willing to listen. When that happens, I will gladly stand behind them. Until then… Until that day you and I both have to sit back here, watch and wait."

"Nothing you could say would change his mind now, anyway." Bombur's soft voice came out of nowhere. "Not when his possessions are threatened."

"The boys?" Bilbo asked hopefully.

"The ponies," Bombur scoffed.

"Shouldn't you be over with the group?" Nori asked Bombur. "Don't want Thorin to notice you missing."

"I seriously doubt he's paying attention to anything but what's right under his nose at this point."

Bilbo tried to take advantage of their conversation to move closer, but Nori didn't let go.

"Bilbo," he muttered, "I still can't let you go."

"I have to see it, Nori!"

Nori turned his eyes down to the hobbit. "Do you? Really?"

Bilbo swallowed, but nodded. "I need to know."

The two dwarves exchanged glances.

"Alright Bilbo, but I reserve the right to pull you out whenever I see the need."

Bilbo nodded again, hurried. Nori practically frogmarched him to the back of the crowd, and Bilbo pulled sideways so he could see through a gap in the group.

.

Thorin was circling.

.

Fili and Kili were on their knees on the ground, faces down and hands fidgeting on their knees. Bilbo wondered if they were fighting the urge to cover the backs of their heads every time they felt Thorin go behind them.

Thorin was muttering something in dwarf-speak, and obviously it meant something important to see the faces on the other dwarves. Dwalin looked ready to main someone again – Balin had taken his axes away as a precaution. Bofur and Bifur were next to Dori and Ori. Ori was trying to look away but his brother wouldn't let him. Oin and Gloin were passive, as always, but Bilbo could have sworn he saw something, some emotion in their eyes. But it was well hidden.

Thorin moved over to his belongings and picked up a large, oaken branch.

.

Everyone froze.

.

Thorin was yelling in his native tongue, swinging the branch like a club so it hissed past the boys' heads. It whirled inches past Fili's moustache, then thumped into his shoulder. He pulled back a groan. Kili flinched and the branch flew over and collected him in the opposite shoulder.

Thorin strode past them, obviously meaning to hit them from behind, when Oin stepped forward.

"My King," he said calmly, "Of course I will follow your orders, and I will do my best, but I cannot guarantee your boys' physical capabilities if you beat them with a club. They will not be able to ride tomorrow, or perform any of their duties."

Bilbo should have guessed that the healer would be the first dwarf to actually say something to their King – but then, he had never spoken up before, so why now?

Thorin still looked furious, but nodded slowly.

"You speak the truth, Oin," he said, and dropped the club.

Only to take out his belt, hold the buckle in his hand and flick it forward onto Kili's back.

"See, even now I am looking out for you," he taunted in Westron, "Leaving you as whole as possible."

He turned the same treatment on Fili.

"I'm sure you still want to look out for your brother, don't you FIli? How much shall I just give you tonight?"

Bilbo flinched at every strike, blows that seemed to randomly flit between the two brothers. Fili held his reactions in and barely made a noise, but Kili moaned in agony every time he was able to catch a breath.

Then Thorin switched the belt around and started using the buckle.

Fili started crying in a language Bilbo couldn't understand, and Kili switched to match him. Bilbo gagged.

Then suddenly Fili seemed to crumple into a ball on the ground – more so than before. Kili launched himself across his brother's body and screeched.

.

"No please! Please no more, Uncle!"

.

The air was roaring past Bilbo's ears. He distantly felt himself trying to free himself from Nori's grasp, but the dwarf obviously had experience holding on to someone because he wrestled him back to the edge of camp and forced him down on a log between him and Bombur.

Someone, probably the larger dwarf, was rubbing his back and trying to talk to him.

He didn't understand anything they were saying – the only word that was ringing through his head was "Uncle".

_._

_Uncle!_

.

And then all he could see was the blood, and any words in his head had mushed into incomprehensible slurs, and….

Then the pounding between his ears stopped.

Bilbo looked back up.

Thorin had stepped back, panting slightly.

Kili was curled over on his legs, twitching.

Fili wasn't moving.

Blood was sprinkled on the ground.

Thorin tilted his head back purposefully. _Controlled._

The big oak branch was raised up one last time.

.

.

.

.

.

.

And Thorin dropped like a stone.

.

.

.

"I have to say," Bofur said, shattering the stillness. "That took you far longer than I thought it would."

And Dwalin, still holding the branch, gave them his full, toothy grin.


	11. Chapter 11

Bilbo was the first to catch his breath.

"Uncle!" he screeched. "Uncle? What on earth is wrong with you… dwarves!" And with that he broke off into a string of hobbit curses that would have had his father rolling in his grave.

"Bilbo!" Balin snapped. "Control yourself!"

Bilbo spun to face the elder dwarf, utter fury screaming from every line of his body. "Thorin's their Uncle? Their Uncle did this to them?" He looked down at Fili and Kili again, finally seeing the resemblance. Then the next thought struck him like one of Dwalin's axes. "Shouldn't they technically be princes then? If Thorin's King?" He chased that away – it wasn't as important right now. "But their _Uncle_? How could any of you have just stood by at let this happen?"

"Mister Baggins!" This time it was Gloin that thundered his name. "You presume much! None of us 'just stood by' as you say! We have done whatever we could to thwart the evil that grips our king."

"Some more than others," Dwalin growled back in Gloin's direction.

"At least we did not disappear to the Iron Hills, _cousin,_" Gloin flicked back.

"Peace!" Balin called wearily. He glared at his brother who was ready to start thwacking things again. "We have much to discuss. But first we must deal with Fili and Kili." He rolled back his shoulders and settled into a business-like pose that Bilbo recognised from the Thain back in the Shire. "I move a motion of no confidence in the current leadership of King Thorin."

The change of topic totally lost Bilbo, but the other noble dwarves matched Balin's stance and tone.

"As two of the dwarf lords that supported Thorin and his kingship, let it be known that with the backing of the company, both sons of Groin put forward that Thorin is not in his right mind and should be removed, at least temporarily, as King." Gloin's glare showed he was just as ready as Dwalin to hit anyone who disagreed with him.

Balin nodded. "Both sons of Fundin, also supporters of Thorin, are in agreement."  
"So done," intoned Oin and Dwalin.

Bilbo pushed past Bombur and Nori and rushed over to the boys. "Can I please help them? Why are you all just standing there?"

"There are some procedures we still have to follow," Balin said quickly. He turned to the rest of the group. "Now that Thorin has stepped aside due to his health, we the dwarf lords present call on the Company to form a council that will lead in his stead. Do you accept?"

Bifur nodded straight away, and poked his cousins until they voiced their agreement. Dori and Ori still looked horrified, but nodded as well when prompted.

"All the Company accept the burden of leadership in a joint council. So done."

"So done."

With the entire company speaking as one, the weight of what had happened finally seemed to settle.

"Oin, take care of Fili and Kili. The Company will be in charge of their care now."

Balin took charge and sent Oin rushing for his medical supplies.

Bilbo was grateful something was finally being done for them. Fili still hadn't stirred, and Kili hadn't opened his eyes. He didn't want to touch them and scare them, but the urge to pull them into a hug and not let go was growing.

"Dwalin, make sure Thorin is restrained when he wakes up."

"Restrained or contained?"

Balin thought for a moment. "Contained. He still is the King."

Bilbo scoffed. Balin looked down at the hobbit.

"Bilbo, we will need your help."

"What? Where?" Bilbo yelped. "I need to be here for the boys!"

Balin shook his head sadly. "There's something we need you to do first."

"And I still want to know what that glorified penny pusher has to say about things."

They all heard Dwalin's grumble from the other side of the fire, but even as Gloin rushed over – again – Dori surprised them all.

"Enough! I have had enough! The boys should be the centre of our attention tonight, and when – _when _– they are comfortable we will have a rational discussion about what to do next. But there will be no more violence tonight. Understood?"

It spoke of Dori's raw strength that both battle-hardened dwarves retreated.

"Bilbo?"

The hobbit returned his attention to Balin. "What could I possibly do?"

Balin sighed. All previous leadership posturing had totally faded. "Thorin will still have the ring on him, although I know he's not wearing it on his hands. We need you to get it off of him and take it. So none of us are…"

Bilbo nodded slowly. He understood.

He didn't like it, but he understood.

Tilting his chin back, he moved to the tree where Dwalin was currently removing all of Thorin's weapons. At least his ankle was fastened to the trunk, but the vengeful part of Bilbo wanted to see the dwarf pounded into the rocks at least a few more times before being left alone.

"Um… Dwalin?"

The larger dwarf didn't stop his search. "You're here for the Ring?"

"Yes."

"On a mithril chain, around his neck."

Bilbo was surprised. "You found it already."

"If by found you mean considered strangling him with it, then yes."

He almost laughed. What a life Dwalin must have lived, for his humour to come out at such a dark moment.

Trying hard not to look at the unconscious dwarf in front of him too much – he knew the Took in him wanted to break at least the nose – Bilbo reached out, unclasped the chain and inspected the ring.

"Hard to believe, isn't it, that tiny thing is the source of so much…"

"Hate?" Bilbo supplied.

"Hurt."

Bilbo hummed in agreement. "It won't affect me, will it?"

"Better ask my brother that, not me. But my guess is it only works on dwarves. That's why he asked you to take it, anyways."

"But will someone… would anyone be tempted…"

"To take it off of you?" Dwalin shrugged, and threw Thorin's last sword down so it bounced off his thigh and onto the dirt. "Whoops. But no, I don't think that will happen. Good number of the Company aren't royal, so less susceptible to the curse. And there are too many of us who have seen what it does. Reality is as good a protection as any."

Bilbo nodded again, and left Dwalin deep in thought. Gandalf was still missing, but perhaps he could put about that the wizard had taken possession of the ring. Not that he didn't trust Dwalin, but still. It wouldn't hurt. He slipped the chain over his own neck so it was hidden under his shirt. He would tell the wizard later._ After _berating him for what was going on right under his nose.

.

.

-ooo-

.

.

Bilbo was once again ashamed to admit he hadn't been much help treating Fili and Kili's wounds. Oin had been precise and methodical, and Bofur had helped where he could. But Bilbo kept wanting to retch at the sight of the open wounds, and instead had gone to fetch some herbs from the woods to pack into the worst cuts.

But now the boys were finally patched up, and resting as well as could be hoped for. Bilbo hoped he would be more help the next morning when they woke up.

But the dwarves had put their serious, business faces back on, and Bilbo tried to do the same. He wanted to hear the full story as well. Thankfully, the talk moved away to allow Fili and Kili to rest.

Somewhat surprisingly, it was Gloin who began.

"Some twenty years ago, Thorin's sister and her husband found the Durin ring. No one knows exactly how they found it, but I suspect a travelling dwarf from another tribe found it sometime after the fall of Erabor and traded it to them. The couple planned to hide or even destroy the ring, having seen what it cost their family already, but Thorin found out before they could carry out their plan. They were executed and their names have since been wiped from the family books of Erebor."

The company paused in a moment of silence.

"Dwalin and I were in the Iron Hills as part of a trading group," Balin took up the story, "Trying to organise extra supplies for the growing settlement at Erud Luin. We returned two years later and the entire family was gone. We followed rumours to a new settlement in a different area, but by then it was too late. The place was even more traditional and had fully accepted Thorin and his ways. No one would dare speak against him."

"I would," Dwalin huffed, but Oin scowled at him.  
"Which is precisely why you were sent back to Erud Luin to keep the peace there! You couldn't hold your tongue!"

"Hold my tongue! Of course I couldn't hold my tongue! The boys were not safe! I helped raised them, and I could do nothing to stop what their _Uncle_ was doing to them!"

Dwalin was visibly trying to regain control. "I did what I could. Why did you not speak up? Why did you do nothing?"

"We might not have spoken up, but that does not mean we did nothing," Oin glowered. "Do you know how many times I patched those boys up without their Uncle knowing?"

"We kept Thorin away from Fili and Kili when we could, when we saw his sickness growing," Gloin added gruffly. "We even tried convincing him to change the slavery laws. We did what we could."

"As did we all," Balin said, trying valiantly to keep the discussion focused.

"Don't look at us," Nori snapped. "None of us were important enough to do anything." Dori looked annoyed at Nori for interrupting, but he reluctantly nodded in agreement. Bofur and Bombur looked equally regretful.

"It's like you said," Bofur agreed softly. "We all did what we could. But that was not a lot."

"It was not enough but we all tried," put in Balin again, "Dwalin and I joined the quest to try and once again work alongside Thorin, to protect the boys as best we could by being near."

"Fat lot of good that did," Bilbo snapped. The dwarves seemed to have forgotten he was there. They turned, almost as one.

"What?"

"I said, fat lot of good any of you did! Regardless of your ties to Thorin, their _Uncle_ still beat them into submission daily! And now they almost died at his hands, and you're all wasting breath arguing about who's most to blame – which by the way, is their UNCLE – instead of actually helping them." He sat down heavily. "And now we're just going around in circles."

"It needs to be said though, Bilbo," Ori put in suddenly. "But you're right. None of us are fully to blame, but none of us are blame free, either. We all stood by, for whatever reason, but now's our chance to do something about it."

That was by far the longest thing Bilbo had ever hear the young scribe say, and he seemed to realise that the entire Company was watching him in surprise, and shrank back. But Dwalin slapped him on the back and grinned.  
"Well said, Ori! And now that Thorin is gone, we can do something about it. The Company will look after the boys, won't we?"

He asked the final question with a glare, almost daring them to disagree. Balin simply scoffed.

"No dwarf in their right mind would argue with that, brother."

_Well, Thorin clearly wasn't in his right mind_, Bilbo snipped mentally.

"Bilbo," Balin was saying, "You should be the one to look after Fili and Kili."

"Me?"

The other dwarves all nodded. "They're most likely to trust you, after…"

_After the learned that all dwarves were out to hurt them._

Bilbo just nodded. "I understand. Of course I'll care for them."

_Just you wait until I can take them away, far away…_

"Dwalin, you must keep Thorin away from them. Always."

The grin from before, the one with a club in its hand, resurfaced. "With pleasure."

"And other than that, we continue as before," Balin concluded. "But…"

"What is it Balin?" Dori asked.

Balin looked down. "I know that Thorin has done wrong, and I know he must pay for what has happened. But… He is our King. He is… was a King I would have been proud to serve. I merely ask that we all remember that he has been corrupted by a power we truly don't understand. Perhaps the wizard can explain better than I. But try not to hold him solely to blame for his actions."

Bifur let loose a string of whatever tongue he spoke, and Nori snarled viciously. "Aye, not solely. But mostly."

_Clearly Nori was not the only dwarf present who had a problem with slavery in general._

"I suspect a little mental recalibration will have altered matters quite significantly, Master Dwarf."

Gandalf's voice from the tree line startled them all. The wizard looked more solemn than Bilbo had ever seen.

Which was saying something.

.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bilbo saw Kili begin to stir. He caught Balin's eye, and the older dwarf nodded in approval. Bilbo left the group and headed back towards the fire.

"I will speak with you later, wizard," Bilbo hissed as he walked past.

He huffed as he heard Gandalf sigh deeply from behind him. He was far too upset to talk to the wizard now, though. There were many things he needed answers for. But that would come later.

Kili was trying to turn over, but the poultices on his back made moving difficult.

"Easy there, Kili," Bilbo hushed, "Try not to move. Your wounds have been taken care of but you need rest."

The dwarf jolted at his voice and tried to stand.

"I'm sorry, Mister Bilbo, I'm not being lazy, I don't…"

Bilbo's heart broke that Kili thought he was expected to get up and work in this condition. As gently as possibly, he pushed the dwarf back done. He knew Kili would be scared, but the possibility of worsening his injuries made it a price he was willing to pay.

"You can't get up now, Kili, but it's alright. Everything's going to be OK."

Tiredness was catching up with Kili now – his eyes were fluttering shut even as he fought back.

"Please don't tell Master Thorin…"

Bilbo's breath caught again.  
"I'll take care of Master Thorin. Don't you worry about anything. Just rest."

Gently, carefully, Bilbo reached out and ran his fingers through Kili's hair. He had seen Dori do the same to his youngest brother when Ori was having trouble sleeping one night.

Kili flinched, but started relaxing into the touch. His breathing was slowing down. A small smile – or as close to one as Bilbo had ever seen on either of the brothers – worked its way across his face.

Bilbo kept murmuring reassuring words until Kili was fast asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Bilbo blinked the sleep from his eyes. He wasn't sure what had woken him, or why he had slept in such an uncomfortable position.

Then Kili kicked him in the shin, and it was all he could do to not cry out in pain.

_Why had he let Kili sleep in his boots?_

Untangling his fingers from Kili's hair, and carefully stepping over FIli's legs – had he moved during the night? – Bilbo stumbled towards the ashes of yesterday' fire.

"Has a whole day and night gone by?" he managed out.

Balin was writing something, but he looked up when Bilbo spoke.

"We decided that we could all use more rest."

_After what has happened _went unsaid.

"Thankyou," Bilbo said, and he meant it. "What are you writing?" He couldn't help his curiosity.

"A contract. For the boys."

"For what?" Bilbo bristled.

"If I could, I would free them now," Balin sighed, "But that is not something the King's Council has the power to do – it remains with the individual. But I – we – do have the authority to pass temporary guardianship of Fili and Kili over to the Company."

"Very temporary," Dwalin muttered. "And unusual."

_How did that dwarf move so silently?_

"It's been done before," Balin argued, "In times when the King was sick or absent and his slaves needed caring for."

Dwalin huffed. "Not arguing with you, brother."

Bilbo swore he saw Balin roll his eyes.

"So, if the Company are in charge of them…" Gloin trailed off expectantly.

"It means we can do what we see fit with them," Oin explained. He finally had his ear trumpet back in.

"Say, treating their wounds?" Bilbo asked hopefully.

Oin nodded. "Aye. And feed them properly for once, keep them warm and not force them to stand guard all night in the cold!"

The other dwarves inched back ever so slightly from the grumbling healer. Bilbo followed a beat after. He was quickly realising that even the dwarves who didn't look like fighters were still formidable in their own right.

"So they're still slaves then?"

"Aye," Dwalin muttered darkly. "But better us than Thorin."

He turned to Dwalin. "Has Thorin…"

The dwarf grinned. "He stirred. But something dropped on his head – he hasn't woken up since."

The other dwarves chuckled darkly. Bilbo caught himself about to do the same.

_What has happened to you, Bilbo Baggins?_

Fili twitched and groaned in his sleep. Bilbo rushed over before the other dwarves said anything.

_These boys happened, that's what._

_Took of a hobbit._

.

Inevitably Fili's movement started waking Kili up as well, and so Bilbo was greeted with a matching pair of eyes madly searching the clearing.

"Easy there," he said calmly, quietly. Reassuring. He kept his hands within view, like they were startled animals. "It's just me."

"Mister Bilbo," Kili said, and it warmed Bilbo's heart that the young dwarf trusted him enough to close his eyes again. Fili still looked ready to bolt.

"Do you need anything? Water, something to eat?" Bilbo offered. "Are you warm enough?"

Kili jerked awake again and Fili looked suspiciously at Bilbo.

_He hasn't looked at me like that since the berries. _

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Offering us things."

Bilbo couldn't help himself. He snorted. "We've been through this already! I am choosing of my own free will to look out for you, and am not interested in what any other dwarf might think. So: do you need me to get you anything?"

Kili relaxed slightly. Fili wasn't convinced. He wasn't looking at Bilbo like he was about to poison them, but there was still something hidden behind his eyes. "Mister Baggins, did you buy us off of Master Thorin?"

If Bilbo had a cup of tea he would have spat it out. "What?"

"Did you buy us? Do we belong to you now?"

They had totally lost Bilbo. "Why would you think that?"

"Master Thorin's probably had enough of us messing up and sold us on to someone who could put up with us," Kili said, looking off into the distance. Where Thorin would have been sleeping.

Fili nodded. "And we're no good to you like this. So you're helping us get better so we can work properly."

_I wish I was imagining the hopeful look in Kili's eye. Perhaps…_

"No boys, I didn't buy you," Bilbo said gently. "But I would want to help you get better regardless. As for Master Thorin…"

"What…" Kili paled.

Fili braced himself. "What does he need?" He started stretching, trying to stand up.

Bilbo raced to stop him, but Bofur got there first.

"Easy laddie, none of that. The only thing any of us needs is for you to keep resting and get better."

Fili frowned, but accepted Bofur's help to lie back down. "Of course. We'll get better quickly so we can get back to work."

Now it was Bofur's turn to frown. "You're not going to be punished for resting Fili. You're also not going to be forced back to work before you're able. In fact, it's an order: you need to rest until told otherwise."

Both boys shared a confused look, but when Bilbo turned to Bofur he knew that talk of Balin's contract must have made it round the rest of the Company. But how to broach the topic with Fili and Kili?

"I know you won't like ordering them around Bilbo," Bofur whispered, "But maybe now it's for the best. They need to get better first, before anything else."

He was right. Bilbo wasn't happy about it, but he would do what needed to be done.

.

.

-ooo-

.

.

Fili and Kili spent the day floating in and out of wakefulness. Bilbo managed to convince them to eat something around lunch time, and while they were distracted Oin had a quick look at their injuries.  
"A mild infection," he reported quietly once the boys were both asleep again. "Nothing too serious, I've applied some fresh dressings and the fever should go done in the next day or so."

Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't take much to imagine what a proper illness could do to someone out in the wilds like this. Especially without a base of good health to start with.

He sat with them for most of the day, the other dwarves coming and going as they did various tasks around the camp. Ori came over and showed Bilbo some scarves he was knitting for Fili and Kili; Dori came by and measured some of the spare coats against them. Bombur got Bilbo to help flavour that night's stew, and while that was cooking Nori came and just sat with the hobbit as he stroked Fili's head. It was about time for him to wake up, but Bilbo remembered how much this sort of touch had calmed Kili and hoped that for once, Fili might wake up without being terrified of who he was with.

He was hoping that the food might be ready by the time they were both properly awake, but apparently Bifur told Nori it would still be a while when he passed. Fili and Kili insisted on sitting up; Bilbo and Nori propped them up against some packs and made sure they still had enough blankets.

When Balin was around earlier, he had told Bilbo that maybe mentioning Thorin wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"We're going to have to tell them eventually," he had said. "And perhaps knowing that Thorin isn't technically in charge of them anymore will help them heal more quickly."

Bilbo still wasn't sure, but he had opened his mouth and instantly Fili and Kili looked at him expectantly. An encouraging nod from Nori helped him stumble on. "How do you… what are your feelings towards your uncle?" he asked tentatively.

Kili hissed under his breath, but Fili just looked at Bilbo blankly. Nori rolled his eyes.

"We don't have an uncle," Fili said plainly.

_It was sad just how good Fili was at hiding his emotions. Bilbo would have to help him break through that._

"Sorry," Bilbo stuttered, "I meant, what do you think of when you think of Unc… Master Thorin?"

He hoped that he could steer the conversation from 'Master Thorin' to 'technically he's not you're master anymore'.

He had also hoped that neither of the boys caught his slip.

_Too late._

Fili flinched violently. Kili shuddered. Distantly Bilbo observed that their eyes seemed out of focus, like they weren't really there.

_Was it that ingrained in them, to be afraid of 'Uncle'? What on earth did he…_

"We don't have an uncle!" Kili yelped. "Uncles don't beat you for not saddling the horses right, uncles don't keep food from you because your stomach rumbled during a meeting, uncles don't slap you for looking them in the eye!" He was almost hyperventilating now, but Bilbo was worried he might get hurt if he got closer. "Uncles don't chain you or flog you or kick you! We don't have an uncle we have a Master!"

That last word seemed to break both Fili and Kili out of their haze.

"Master," Fili gasped, "We didn't say anything, we didn't tell them! We didn't say that, please just let us work, we can still work, see?" He tried getting up again but only succeeded in falling onto Kili. Balin and Oin – they must have heard the noise – quickly moved the boys back to their blankets while they were still disoriented.

"It's the fever," Balin hissed to Bilbo and Nori. "Their minds are running away from them."

"Boys," Oin said sternly. "You are under orders to stay here and rest. It's what your Master wants."

Fili stopped fighting straight away, and Kili still fiddled with his covers but put his chin down on his chest.  
"That's better, Fili, Kili," Balin encouraged in as normal a voice as he could manage. "You're both good. You're doing well. Go back to sleep."

It didn't take long for their breathing to even out, and Bilbo sat back on his heels with a sigh.

"That was a workout," Nori whispered.

"How will we tell them about the contract?" Bilbo asked Balin.  
"When they've recovered from this slight fever," Oin answered instead, "And they are more rational, then we can try to explain things. It was a mistake to try to introduce the idea to them this soon."

"I'm sorry," Bilbo started to protest, but Balin waved him away.  
"Not your fault Bilbo. We suggested it, after all. But maybe we need to think more carefully about how we approach the topic. Until then…"

"Until then, we have to keep things as normal as possible," Oin agreed.

.

.

-ooo-

.

.

On the other side of the fire, tied to a tree, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, stirred back to consciousness. He didn't know where he was or what he was meant to be doing, but he recognised the shape standing between him and the light.

"Dwalin," he asked hoarsely, "Where are the boys? What happened to Fili and Kili?"


	13. Chapter 13

Bilbo was almost – _almost _– ashamed to admit to himself (if he was honest) that he had been avoiding Gandalf.

_Almost _because really, the wizard had known nothing?

.

But he had been avoiding him. At first, Bilbo didn't want to say something in anger that he would regret later; because that would mean apologising and he didn't have anything to be sorry for.

And he didn't want to give the wizard the moral high ground.

But after the initial anger had faded (towards the wizard at least) he realised he didn't know what exactly he wanted to say.

_Why did you agree to this quest?_

Probably a waste of a good, strong opening – Gandalf has already explained he came to combat some greater evil.

_Why did you let Thorin bring his slaves on this quest?_

Because what was he going to do, leave them behind?

_Why didn't you help them?_

.

Just when he found something he was comfortable leading with, the wizard disappeared again.

Again!

_He will be tracked down, and I will get some answers!_

_._

_._

-ooo-

.

.

Bilbo had yet to see either of Fili or Kili wake gently. They were waking up every few hours, clearly not able to sleep deeply yet. Whichever one stirs first, he comes to with a jolt and almost immediately feels around for his brother. Once they've both reassured each other that they're close by (which, Bilbo notes, usually only takes a few seconds), Kili will always check to make sure they're in a safe location and Fili will always look for someone nearby to give the orders about what needs to be done first.

He waits until they both seem coherent (which for such young boys, happens far too quickly) and have tried to eat some of the food they hadn't eaten the night before (this conversely takes far too long) before he broaches _that _subject again. Balin and Gloin had spent hours once the boys had gone to sleep coaching Bilbo how they thought it best to try explaining things again, only for Nori, supported somewhat surprisingly by Dori, to laugh at their crib notes and proclaim that Bilbo would be far better off just trying to be himself.

"_After all,_" he had said ominously, "_You are going to be their new Master, they need to get used to you being you._"

Bilbo decided to take that as a vote of confidence, but it still didn't sit well in his stomach.

"Are you feeling alright this morning, Fili, Kili?"

Bilbo can almost feel Nori rolling his eyes once again from his position on the other side of the fire.

"Yes, thank you Mister Bilbo," Fili says. "What can we do this morning? I'm ready for anything, but…"

"You can both listen carefully," Bilbo says, calmly interrupting Fili's regular protest that he was ready for work. Every time he woke up, even during the middle of the previous night, he had to be reassured that all that was required of him was to rest. Kili just seemed relieved he didn't have to force himself out of his blanket pile.

"We plan on moving off again this afternoon."

The Company had spent many hours debating this. Mainly in regards to transporting Thorin, who was still floating in and out of consciousness (and although none of them said anything, they all suspected Dwalin was responsible for this respite), and making sure the boys kept recovering well. But in the end, Balin had said that they were still under contract to complete a quest, and that contract was for the good of all of Durin's folk, not just one (temporarily indisposed) King.

Fili and Kili (unlike the rest of the dwarves, who had argued vehemently even after Balin spoke) merely nodded.

"And there's something you need to understand first."

Bilbo fought to keep his voice sounding normal, even though he felt like he was pronouncing a renewed death sentence. He swallowed.

"Thorin is no longer your Master. After what he did… Well, let's just say you won't be seeing him anymore."

That was hardly the most eloquent way he could break the news, but… well, it could have gone worse.

Fili hadn't moved an inch. Kili was still fidgeting, unable to keep still.

"So," Kili starts hesitantly, but he doesn't keep going until Bilbo smiles at him, "If Mas… _Thorin's _not our Master anymore, and you haven't bought us, then who is our Master?"

Bilbo finds he has to hide a chuckle at Fili's reaction to his brother's outspokenness. He didn't realise he was expecting something from the elder, but obviously he was getting better at reading them than he thought.

"It's... slightly complicated Kili."

Every bone is his body wants to tell the two young dwarves that they are free, that they can be their own Masters but it doesn't take a wizard to understand that information like that (what with Thorin still being present) would be too hard for Fili and Kili to process. Bilbo had tried to argue Balin down ("_You can't expect us all to keep treating them like slaves_") but eventually the logic to the other's argument wore him down.

He had reached some sort of compromise though. Most of the other dwarves, Balin included, had wanted the boys to remain under the general ownership of the whole group. Gloin had suggested that it might a good first step, because the less controlling ownership of the group might force Fili and Kili to be more self-reliant.

Thankfully Nori had stepped in.

"Self-reliant? If I've ever met another pair of young dwarves more self-reliant than Fili and Kili, I'll eat Bofur's hat! If Balin's successfully argued that we can't push too much change on them straight away, then why on earth would we make their lives a dozen times harder by giving them multiple Masters to worry about?"

The other dwarves – even Bofur, who was trying to subtly hide his hat – went silent at this. Bilbo was nodding along, until Nori turned to him.

"I suggest that, while still acknowledging the Company's overall ownership and responsibility, Bilbo should tell them that he's their Master. They know and trust him already, and this way they can be cared for without totally shaking their whole understanding of the world. For a little while, at least."

Bilbo was waiting for the others to disagree with the thief, but they all agreed. Even Dwalin said he thought it would be best for the boys to pretend a little.

And there was no way the hobbit was arguing with Dwalin.

So when Kili turned his brighter, more hopeful eyes (more _alive _than he'd ever seen) towards Bilbo and asked who his Master was, Bilbo's heart only shattered a little more than it already was.

"I'm going to be your Master for now, Kili. I'm going to take care of you."

.

.

-ooo-

.

.

Every time he woke he tried to remember.

He still didn't remember what happened.

He didn't know why Dwalin wouldn't speak to him, why Oin only gave a cursory look over his injuries.

_Injuries? You'll get what you deserve when it's coming to you!_

He couldn't understand why he felt like he'd just faced Azog again, but on the inside. Like he was fighting the white Orc without actually moving. He just felt worn.

_You've worn out the shirt with your constant clumsiness! Don't expect a new one!_

He couldn't put a finger on what exactly, but something was missing. It was like a part of him had been torn off while he was sleeping and it pulled his entire existence off balance.

_Don't give me your pathetic excuses! You full and well know better than that, Fi—_

_._

_Fili._

_Kili._

_._

_Where are my slaves?_

.

Nephews, Thorin told himself. Or whatever that voice was. Where are my nephews?

_Nephews?! You don't deserve an uncle, you ungrateful brats! You will call me Master._

And Thorin Oakenshield was lost to his fever-dreams once more.

.

.

-ooo-

.

.

_This changes everything._

Fili felt himself subconsciously straightening, and nudged his brother to do the same. He could feel his eyes dropping, hands rearranging themselves, and legs shifting to move the creases from his blankets.

He cursed the weakness that kept him lying down. No doubt the hobbit was displeased that they were still unable to work.

Because he would be displeased. He was their Master. It was his right.

"Thank you, Master." It was the appropriate response.

But even if it wasn't, Fili felt a quickly-growing urge to thank the hobbit for taking them away from their U… previous Master. Surely the hobbit, who's village and home (and probably family, now that he thinks on it) they'd seen, would have to treat them at least a little better than _that._

Before Master Baggins can stop them, Fili flicks Kili so they can both kneel up and bow in synch. Even from their bed rolls, it means more than just lying there and accepting undeserved genourosity.

"Thank you Master," he repeats.

The hobbit shuffles, somewhat uncomfortably, and Fili hopes they haven't done something wrong already. Maybe hobbit customs are different? Perhaps they should have stood and bowed properly? Or should they have used some gesture or phrase unique to the Shire?

It certainly wouldn't be the first time they'd been punished for something they hadn't known existed…

.

.

-ooo-

.

.

_Hope._

It was the only way he could think to describe it.

Because while he could feel his brothers thoughts practically drowning in misery like a dwarf thrown into a pond boots and all, Kili found that spark he'd saved all these years and was finally able to give it something.

Master Baggins hadn't done anything but be nice to them on the entire quest.

"I haven't actually bought you, or anything like that," the hobbit stuttered, "Technically right now you belong to the Company as a whole."

"Like a Council," Kili blurted, only after realising he'd just interrupted their new Master. He ducked his head and waited for the blow, the kick, at least the scolding, but Master Baggins laughed!

"Yes, kind of like a Council, I suppose. But they own you, I'm just in charge of you for the moment."

He could live with that. Really, there was no real difference for him. And surely Master Baggins would be a better Master than some of those much older, more traditional dwarves.

Fili would probably slap him for thinking that. Probably. But he'd definitely get something for speaking without being called on.

_Still worth it…_

.

.

-ooo-

.

.

Bilbo felt like his cheeks were on fire when Fili and Kili _bowed _to him. He stuttered and babbled some rubbish, but eventually fell back on his tried-and-true '_I think you need to get some rest_'. Which, to be fair, they did if they were supposed to ride out with the rest of the Company in a few hours. He moved so he could be sitting between them, stroking both of their heads like he had before.

"Master Baggins," Kili asked sleepily.

"Bilbo," Bilbo corrected gently. "Just Bilbo."

"Master Bilbo," Kili repeated dutifully, missing Bilbo's wince at the remaining title "When this is all over, would you buy us for real? Take us home with you?"

Bilbo felt a catch in his throat.

"If that's what you want, then yes, I would," he said quietly. "If that's what must happen."

"See Fili, I told you," Kili murmured. "We might be OK."

.

.

-ooo-

.

.

If he was honest with himself, he knew why. He knew what must have done.

He'd known ever since he realised the Ring was gone.

_Gone! They stole it! _

Knowing Balin, only one of them could have it.

_The hobbit…_


End file.
